Originally Posted By: hikermor
Who says the BP cuff and steth have to be inside the "official' container? As long as they are accessible and handy, they are available for use. That is what is important.

Where else would I store them?

Originally Posted By: hikermor
If I could have added more, it would have been along the lines of IV administration (both training and gear). We had many situations where IVs made a huge difference in outcome.

I have personal experiences on the importance of an I.V. If there wear a way for a non-professional to get everything needed, I will find a way to get the training.

Originally Posted By: hikermor
If you need to make space within the bag, I would remove some specialized items like the eye shields and chest seals (never used in my experience and easily improvised). I could even remove all tourniquets and the Quik Clot, based on experience.

I was asking if I should get eye shields. Chest seals are so thin that I don't have to worry about space. I'm not sure I can get the C-A-T in the bag; if I cant, I'll stay with the SWAT which does not take much room.

Originally Posted By: hikermor
Leave books and manuals out of the bag. You won't have time to read them during an incident. Thumbing through a book does not inspire patient confidence (which actually is rather significant).

If I come to a situation I'm not experienced in, I would rather have the book than not. I read and practiced enough I can handle a lot of everyday situations. The only time I needed to reference something immediately after an incident was the first time I burned myself in the kitchen.

Originally Posted By: hikermor
One last thing. for lighting, the kit has a disposable penlight. I trust you have readily available a good, really good headlamp, with varying intensities up to at least 500 or so lumens. Darkness and medical emergencies go together like ham and eggs. your hands will be busy dealing with problems of various sorts.

I don't have a headlamp.

Jeanette Isabelle
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I'm not sure whose twisted idea it was to put hundreds of adolescents in underfunded schools run by people whose dreams were crushed years ago, but I admire the sadism. -- Wednesday Adams, Wednesday